Indicator for doors



(K0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. S.GERLACH. I I INDICATOR FOR DOORS.

PatentedApr. 12,1892.

lllllllill IIIIII'N Rs cm. rnorouwo msuma'ron u o (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

GLS. GERLACH; INDICATOR FOR DOORS.

N0. 472,787. Patent p 1.2, 189 2.

77 I 3 Z "1"" 71/11 I I, a.

""hiiiilltall /E HIE lllln; I 1mm lllll and closing the door.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. V

CHRISTIAN S. GERLACH, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

INDICATOR FOR DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,787, dated April 12, 1892.

Application filed June 29, 1891. Serial No. 397,875. (No-model.)

Illinois, have invented certain new and useful,

Improvements in Indicators for Water-Closet and other Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is arfrontelevation of a door, showing my improved device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a face view of the rear plate of the case of my improved device, showing the operating mechanism attached thereto, the front plate being removed. Fig. 4 isa like view showing said parts in a reverse position. Fig. 5 is a like view showing a modified construction, the parts being represented in normal positions, respectively. Fig. 6 is a like view showing said parts as they would appear when the door to which said device is attached is first opened. Fig. 7 is a like view showing said parts in the respective positions which they would assume after the first double movement of opening Fig. 8 is a face view of the sliding frame-employed in said modified construction, the outer slotted plate being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. Qisatransverse sectional view in detail, taken upon the line m, Fig. 6, viewed in the direction of the arrow there shown; and Fig. 10 is a rear perspective view in detail of said sliding plate as it appears when detached.

Like letters of reference in the different figures indicate corresponding parts.

The object of my invention is to provide an indicating device to be applied more especially to the doors of water-closets or restaurant-stalls to indicate whether or not the room to the door of which it is applied is occupied or vacant.

To this end my invention consists in an automatic device, which may be attached to the door of a closet or other room and so con-v nected by means of a hinged rod with the door-frame or other stationary point, that upon opening and closing the door said device may be so operated as to cause asign to be displayed through an opening in the door indicating that the room is Occupied, while upon opening and closing said door a second time the word Vacant may be substituted for the former, said signs being alternately displayed for each alternate double movement made by opening and closing the door, all of which is hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, a, Figs. 1 and 2, indicates a door hinged in the usual manner to a frame I). An opening is formed in the door, in which is secured a case 0, in the front of which is a slot 01, Figs. 1 and 8, through which the words desired to be used may be alternately displayed, as hereinafter specified. The rear plate 6, to which the operative mechanism is attached, is flush with the rear face of the door and is provided with a horizontal slot f, in which'is loosely inserted a wrist-pin g. Shoulders g g, Fig. 9, are formed upon said wrist-pin upon opposite sides of said plate, which serve to hold it loosely in place. Pivotallyattached to said wrist-pin (see Figs. 2 and 9) is a rod h, which is in turn hinged to a bracket h upon the door-frame b. It will thus be seen that as the door a is opened and closed the rod it causes the wristpin 9 to reciprocate in the slot f. In Figs. 3

and 4 I have shown an oscillatory dog in operative proximity to said wristpin g, the movement of which serves to display in proper order the desired words, which are placed directly upon an extension or part of said dog and are displayed through a covered slot. In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 mechanism is employed which embodies the same principle and operates in substantially the same way; but instead of displaying said words,directly upon an oscillatory dog I place them upon a reciprocating frame which is actuated by the movement of said dog. Although said dog differs in form, it is, in fact, the same in both cases, and I will therefore designate it by the same character throughout. The same rule is manifestly applicable to other equivalent parts.

I will first describe the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In said figuresyirepresents a dog, which is pivoted at 11' to the plate 6. The lower portion 11 of said dog is intended to be of sufficient length to project below the slosf, and to be in contact with the pin g as IOO held in a normal position,as shownin Fig. 3,

by means of a spring said latch being intended to release the part upon which the sign isdisplayed with each alternate double movement of the door, as hereinafter set forth. Upon the part i is formed a hook or detent '6, which is adapted to be engaged by a corresponding detentl upon a dog Z, which is pivotally attached to said plate eand held in a normal position. by means of a spring Z Whenthe' part i is in its normal. position, it abuts against a shoulder 7.4 and thus raises the latch 70 against the action of. the spring 7c" to the position shown in Fig. 3.

The operation of said'device is as follows: Assuming; the parts to be.- in the position, respeetively, as shown in Fig. 3', and the door a to be closed, the opening of the doorcauses the pin. g to move from its normal position to the opposite end of the slot f, thereby engaging with the part i of the dogv t' and tilting said dog until the detents t and Z are engaged, as shown in Fig.- 4:, said pin sliding beneath the latch 7a. This movement of the dog, tlpermits the spring 70' to act upon the dog, 76, which throws the latter down against an arm Z of the. dog Z. The closing of the door causes the pin 9 to assume its normal positionv in theslotfias shown in Fig. 4, while the word Occupied remains displayed in front-ofv the opening. Upon again opening the doora. the pin g is caused to slide back above and inengagement with the latch 70, thereby pressings-aid latch down upon the arm Z of the dog Z, which serves to disengage the hooklfrom the hook or detent 1, when the springj tends to-tilt the dogt' back to its normal. position, which occurs upon closing the door. The latch 10' being, again raised, the

pin g is .free to slide back and forth beneath said latch without interfering with the action of the dog 1'. Thus it is apparent that the first double movement of opening and closing. the door serves to display the word Occupied, while the second like double movement serves to substitute the word Vacant therefora In- Figs.-5, 6,.and 7 I have shown a construction in which the words to be displayed, instead of being placed directly upon the part of. the oscillating dog i, are placed, as stated, upon a sliding frame arranged to be reciprooated thereby.

, The mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and 4-. is adapted to a door which opens toward the right, while that shown in Figs. 5 to 7 is adaptedto a door arranged to swing in a reverse direction. Guides 6' e are formed upon the plate 6, between which is loosely placed a to slide said plate down.

plate m, which is rigidly connected with and forms a part of a sliding frame on, which projects from-and is arranged parallel with the plate 6, the operating mechanism being interposed bet ween the part m and the plate 6. An arm or stud m upon said frame bears loosely against the plate 6 and serves to hold said frame parallel therewith. A slot m is formed in the plate on, through whichis projected a stud e adapted to limit the movement of said frame. Upon a plate m forming a part of or attached to the plate m, is displayed the words Vacant and Occupied, respectively,inparallellinesoneabovetheother. The dog 1 is provided with a detent Z in operative proximity to a corresponding detent 4?, upon the plate m. The spring j bearsupon' a studj' upon the .plate 111, thereby tending normally The upper portion of the dogi is also adapted to engage with said studand slide the frame up. An elbow o is pivoted to the plate a at 0, the long arm of said lever being in operative proximity to a pin 19, attached rigidly to the plate m. Said pin and lever are so adjusted that when the sliding frame is down to its full limit the long arm of the lever 0 is depressed by said pin,

while the short arm, engaging With the shoulder 70 of the latch Zc,-serves to elevate the-end of said latch, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the pin g, when reciprocated, is free to pass forward and back thereunder. In operating said modified device,-a's the door is opened-to the left the study-passes to the right, lifts the dog t', and with it said sliding frame, thereby displaying theword Occupied'in' front of the slot (2. The door is then closed, which leaves the respective parts in the positions shown in Fig. 7. As the latch kis then down, a second opening of the door causes-the ping to slide over and depress saidv latch,.which in turn engages with a pin Z? upon the dog Z, thereby disengaging the tooth Z front the catch n, and upon the closing of the door the s'l-i-ding frame falls to its normal position, as in Fig. 5, the pin 70 serving, through the lever 0, to again raise the latch is, so that the pin g may pass under it with the next open-ing and closing action of the door. Thus it will be seen that when the sliding frame is down the device will indicate that the room withwhich it is connected is vacant and when said frame is up that said room isoccupied.

My improved indicator maybe cheaply constructed, while the advantages of its use in various ways are obvious.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim 1. A registering device for water-closet and other doors, consisting of a sliding pin, a movable dog or plate in operative proximity thereto, a catch for holding said dog or plate in an abnormal position while said pin is being moved forward and back, a sign with suitable words thereon adjusted to be operated bysaid dog, a latch in operative proximity to said catch, means for depressing the free end of said latch beneath -the path of the operating pin, means for holding the free end of said latch normally above the path of said pin, and means for connecting said operating pin with the stationary point upon the doorframe, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, witha door, of aslotted plate through which is displayed a movable disk having difierent signs or words thereon, a movable pin arranged in a suitable guide and in operative connection with a stationary point upon the door-frame, a movable-dog in operative connection with said disk and movable pin, respectively,a catch for holding said disk in an abnormal position,a latch in operative proximity to said catch. and movable pin, and means for interposing said latch between said pin and catch with each alternate double movement of said pin, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with a door, of a pin arranged to move in a suitable guide, means for connecting the same with a stationary point, a movable'dog interposed in the path of said pin, a sliding frame in operative connection therewith, having different signs or characters thereon arranged to be seen through an opening in the door, means for causing said frame to assume a normal position, a catch for holding the same in an abnormal position, a pivoted latch arranged in the path of said sliding pin, means for normally holding the free end of said latch above the path of said pin, and means for abnor mally interposing it between said sliding pin and said catch, substantially as shown and described. 3

4. The combination, with a door, of the stationary plate e, slotted, as described, of the pin g, means for loosely connecting the same with a stationary point upon the door-frame, a vertically-movable plate having different signs thereon arranged to be alternately dis- CHRISTIAN S. GERLACH. Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, J. 'I. GRAVES. 

